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Work restarts at Notre Dame after melted lead scare

The reconstruction of the fire-ravaged Notre Dame cathedral in Paris is set to restart, after work was suspended in July amid fears about lead pollution, reportsConstruction Manager.

Work was suspended on 25 July in order to improve the protection of workers from the estimated 300 tonnes of lead that melted on the building’s spire and roof during the fire in April this year.

Authorities introduced a plan of action to ensure “optimal security” for those people working on the site, as well to prevent polluted material from leaving the site by controlling entrances and exits.

A new decontamination unit has been installed between the site’s base of operations and the site itself. It now has to be tested to ensure it is working properly. There will also be an entry control system using security badges, procedures for washing work clothes, and a co-ordinated approach to health protection, all of which are being finalised.

Michel Cadot, prefect of the Île-de-France region, is expected to authorise the resumption of work on the cathedral construction site, once safety operations are complete. It is expected that the site will reopen on 19 August.

Cadot said: “Our priority is to prevent any risks that employees working on the construction site could incur. With the new security protocols and the delivery of two new decontamination units, the quality of lead decontamination for workers, machinery and materials will be optimised. In this way, work on the site can be resumed in complete safety.”

Image: Notre Dame cathedral in Paris was ravaged by fire in April this year (Cangadoba/CC BY-SA 4.0)